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I put off reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean because. . . enough about books already! But I’m glad I finally decided to pick it up. Once I did, it was hard to put down. Not only does Orlean remind us of the extraordinary role that libraries play in the civic life of our communities, she showcases her skill at narrative reconstruction. The book is about the fire that consumed the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, the investigation that followed, and the ramifications of such destruction on people throughout the community (including the main suspect in what was widely assumed to be an act of arson). Fascinating!

If you wonder why people are buzzing about the presidential prospects of a 37-year-old mayor of a midsize Midwestern city, read Pete Buttigieg’s memoir, Shortest Way Home. Buttigieg may be the intellectually deepest and most thoughtful of the Democratic presidential crop, despite his age. A history and literature major at Harvard and Rhodes Scholar, his deep love of novels comes through as he eloquently traces his roots in South Bend, interest in government, enlistment in the Navy reserves and deployment to Afghanistan, ascent to the mayoralty and, on the eve of his re-election, decision to come out as a gay man. A refreshing voice and a talented Millennial worth watching as he contemplates a run for the White House.

American Prison by Shane Bauer is a searing portrait of American prisons and the historic injustices of our system of incarceration. Bauer, a journalist who had been imprisoned in Iran, turned his attention to the privatization of American prisons while reporting for Mother Jones. Hired as a guard (they never checked his background) at a privately-run prison in Louisiana, he surreptitiously recorded his four-month-long experience. His book provides a vivid first-hand account of who he met and what he saw, interwoven with a very depressing critique of America’s long history of using convicts as forced labor for the profit of others. A tremendous book.